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Glite Dictionary
licentious

licentious

3 9.9
Behaving without moral control, especially sexually
  • adjective
  • /laɪˈsɛnʃəs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : licencioso
  • The novel was criticized for its licentious depiction of love and relationships, which many found offensive.
  • licentious behavior

So this leads to things like desires for riches, fame, power, licentious pleasures.

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Examples

  • "Like Esau, licentious Americans lived for the present, ready to sell the birthright of purity for the momentary gratification of passion."

    Academic text (2002)

  • Angry editorials emphasized that Hindi films brought nothing of value to the nation, only licentious love scenes and hooligan behavior.

    Academic text (2005)

  • De Sade said there is no better way to know death than to link it with some licentious image.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I don't know if any of you are aware of this, but it's a federal offense to make licentious remarks on a network television broadcast.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will.

    Blog text (5)

  • However, we break away from the natural order because our "freedom of imagination" deceives us and makes us unruly and licentious.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Now, granted, Caligula was a beast-- cruel, cunning, and licentious.

    The Cobweb (1955)

  • Some drank, some begged in the street, some swindled their employers, some were vain, careless, licentious, or lazy.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • We had learned about prostitution in stories; the debaucheries and customs were mythic variations on moral sins, prohibitions, and licentious adventures.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She was known for her licentious behavior at parties, often ignoring the rules of decorum.

Synonyms

libidinous
vslicentious
  • NSFW
3 9.9

Having very strong sexual desire

focuses on breaking moral rules and behaviour rather than desire
libertine
vslicentious
  • NSFW
2 9.6

Showing no concern for moral rules, especially about sex

is an internal lack of moral restraint rather than only visible actions

Antonyms

moral
∞ 3.7

Concerned with ideas of right and wrong in people's actions

virtuous
35 4.3

Being morally good and doing what is right

chaste
14 7.4

Not having sex, often for religious or moral reasons

How Licentious

depraved
  • Formal
48 7.8
dissolute
  • Formal
3 8.8
licentious
  • NSFW
3 9.9
loose
  • Offensive
52 5.6
permissive
  • Jargon
14 4.9

Surface Forms

licentious positive

Morphology

licentious = license (semi-transparent) = license + ious

Formed from 'license' + adjective-forming suffix, but the sense 'lacking moral restraint' is a semantic shift from 'permission' rather than a direct, predictable compositional meaning for learners.

Etymology

Licentious comes from the old Latin word licentia, meaning 'freedom' or 'permission', from licēre 'to be allowed'. Think of it like having a license to do what you want: a licentious person acts as if they may ignore rules, especially about sex.